Chris Hammond

I got the same thing, when doing things i find easily and don't have to learn new things for, i find myself annoyed by it quickly =/ But in the end i have to accept the fact that those things have to be done as well, and that you can't always have the happy things, but when the thing is over i always get some new hope for the next stupid thing when seeing the result :p

Stop by your local unemployment office at lunchtime. Ask someone in the waiting room or someone working at a counter about the average wait time today. Ask what the maximum $/week unemployment benefit is in your state.

Ditto. Being a 24 yr old self-taught programmer, I'm always most motivated when I'm learning something new while working, or at least refining and improving my methodologies. When its that point in a project where its all webform, CRUD, webform, CRUD, webform, CRUD, lather, rinse, repeat I quickly become demotivated and find my brain cheating on the current project and starts working on other programs. (Actually in this phase right now, hence I'm commenting in blogs instead of working on these webforms. *sigh*) Here's some random thoughts on the matter:

1. There's got to be a better way to do this, e.g., can I write a program to generate some of this junk for me?

2. Perhaps I'm in the wrong job position. Maybe I should be more of project manager and code quality assurance dictator.

3. Are external factors negatively afftecting my motivation? What can I do to resolve them? Improper diet, sleep, excersize... family, video games, car problems and other distractions... Weblogs and Slashdot....

4. Are there any techniques out there that may positively affect my motivation/productivity? Pair programming perhaps? (Holy allitteration batman.)

5. Maybe this boring project should've been outsourced overseas...

I'm just SOOOO busy Implementing a simple CMS into a project, I can't suggest much.

Hire a junior and delegate

This is something that every developer will recognize and experiences from time to time.

However, some people (like me) experience it more than others, and have such a lack of control over their motivations and level of effort that it disrupts their work and home lives, costing them jobs and relationships - because it's one of the primary symptoms of ADD. As opposed to most people who simply aren't motivated to work on something they're not interested in, and have to overcome it to get the work done, those with ADD/ADHD are almost incapable of getting something done if their attention won't focused on it.

If you feel its an extreme enough problem that you think there might be a psychological basis, then look into ADD. You've surely heard of it, but many people dismiss the condition and don't bother looking at the actual symptoms (it's not all about hyperactivity). It's a serious condition that affects a large number of adults. Its something you might at least want to look into and learn about.

Some of the same thoughts you mention here, and similar problems at my job are what led me to explore ADD a couple years ago, and led to an eventual diagnosis. I've had the same talk with my boss, and have lost jobs over those problems in the past.

Like I said, these are actually common problems, so I'm not suggesting that you're definitely ADD, but your issues sound very familiar...

If you're like me, you'll never be happy until you can work only on the things you find interesting. People who say that isn't possible have lost sight of their dreams and what's important in life (hint: it's not the bling).

Maturity. It doesn't get any more fun to work on boring projects, but you realize that the pearls you do get require you to perform on the boring ones equally well.